Monday, February 27, 2012

A Big Batch of Brownie Mixes - Secret Recipe Club

I was assigned Kelli's blog Ambition's Kitchen for this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment. I've spent many hours going through nearly all of her recipes, and found several different ones I want to try. But the one that grabbed my attention was one of her Frugal Friday posts. Every Friday, Kelli gives a recipe for something that is usually store-bought, but is cheaper and usually better for you when it's homemade. She's given us pudding pops, Larabars, aluminum-free baking powder, maple pancake syrup, and more. The one I chose to make was the homemade brownie mix. I had plenty of flour and sugar, and last month I bought a bag of Ghirardelli dark cocoa. I wanted to make multiple batches, so I got out some large mason jars I'd bought for baking small loaves of bread. As I began to dish out the ingredients, I realized that the jars were too small - I needed quart-sized, not pint-sized. My husband came up with the solution - just put half the ingredients in one jar, and use two jars for a batch of brownies.

He's so smart.

In less than 10 minutes I'd measured out 5 batches - four into the jars and one into a bowl. Then to the bowl, I added the wet ingredients; then put the batter into a 9" stoneware pan. 20 minutes later, they came out of the oven -- dark, rich, decadent brownies. I chose not to do any mix-ins, and these are so good they don't need frosting. (Though I love a good frosting!) They hold together when cut, and are perfectly fudgy; just the way I like them.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan.2. Dump the Brownie Mix into a bowl. Add the oil, water, vanilla, and egg, and stir just to blend.3. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it.Makes 16 brownies

Just for comparison, here's the ingredient list on a box of Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownies: